Antonov An-124
The Antonov An-124 ''Ruslan'' ( ) (NATO reporting name: Condor) is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union. The An-124 is the world's second highest gross weight production cargo airplane behind the Boeing 747-8F and world's third heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the one-off Antonov An-225 (a greatly enlarged design based on the An-124) and the Boeing 747-8F. During development it was known as Izdeliye 400 in house, and An-40 in the West. First flown in 1982, civil certification was issued on 30 December 1992.E. Gordon, Antonov's Heavy Transports, Midland Publishing. Over 40 are in service (26 civilian models with airlines and 10 firm orders as of August 2006) and 20 were in commercial use in 1998Flight International, 3–9 October 2006 in Ukraine, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Libya. Development During the 1970s, the VTA (Military Transport Aviation) arm of the Soviet Air Force had a shortfall in strategic heavy airlift capacity. Its largest planes consisted of about 50 Antonov An-22 turboprops, which were used heavily for tactical roles. A classified 1975 CIA analysis concluded that the USSR did "...not match the US in ability to provide long-range heavy lift support."Trends in Soviet Military Programs (October 1976) (originally Top Secret), Central Intelligence Agency. The An-124 was manufactured in parallel by two plants: the Russian company Aviastar-SP (ex. Ulyanovsk Aviation Industrial Complex) and by the Kyiv Aviation Plant AVIANT, in Ukraine. Design work started in 1971 and construction of facilities began in 1973. Manufacturing on the first airframe began in 1979.Era of Ruslan: 25 years. Antonov, Accessed: 2011-11-06. Ultimately this project brought together over 100 factories contracted to produce systems and parts. The first flight took place in December 1982 and the first exposure to the West followed in 1985 at the Paris Air Show.The Condor: A New Soviet Heavy Transport (originally classified Secret), 1986, Central Intelligence Agency. Russia and Ukraine agreed to resume the production in the third quarter of 2008. In May 2008, a new variant—the An-124-150—was announced; it featured several improvements, including a maximum lift capacity of 150 tonnes. However, in May 2009, Antonov's partner, United Aircraft Corporation announced it did not plan production of An-124s in the period 2009–2012. In late 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered production of the aircraft resumed. It is expected that Russia will purchase 20 new aircraft.Maternovsky, Dennis (2009). "Russia to Resume Making World’s Largest Plane, Kommersant Says". Bloomberg.com. 24 Dec 2009. Accessed 28 Dec 2009. Design An-124]] Externally, the An-124 is similar to the American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but has a 25% larger payload, and instead of the Galaxy's T-tail, the An-124 uses a conventional empennage, similar in design to that of the Boeing 747. The An-124 has been used to carry locomotives , yachts, aircraft fuselages, and a variety of other oversized cargoes. The aircraft is able to kneel to allow easier front loading; and has an onboard overhead crane capable of lifting up to 30 tonnes of cargo, and items up to 120 tonnes can be winched on board.An124-100 technical specification Ruslan International. Retrieved: 24 July 2010. Up to of cargo can be carried in a military An-124; it can also carry 88 passengers in an upper deck behind the wing centre section. The cargo compartment of An-124 is , ca. 20% larger than the main cargo compartment of C-5 Galaxy, which is . Due to limited pressurization in the main cargo compartment (24.6 kPa, 3.57 psi),Antonov's Heavy Transports. Midland Publishing it seldom carries paratroopers. Pilots have stated that the An-124 is light on the controls and easy to handle for an aircraft of its size."AVIATION Reports – 2000 – A00O0279". Transportation Safety Board of Canada, 31 July 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2012. Quote: "The AN124 has been described by training personnel and pilots as being very easy to handle for an aircraft of its size. The AN124 tends to be very light on the controls." Some airports require pavement protection from the heat and blast effects of the An-124's auxiliary power unit. Operational history Germany led the recent effort to lease An-124s for NATO strategic airlift requirements. Two aircraft are leased from SALIS GmbH as a stopgap until the Airbus A400M is available. Under NATO SALIS programme NAMSA is chartering six An-124-100 transport aircraft. According to the contract An-124-100s of Antonov Airlines and Volga-Dnepr are used within the limits of NATO SALIS programme to transport cargo by requests of 18 countries: Belgium, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Canada, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Germany, Czech Republic and Sweden. Two An-124-100s are constantly based on full-time charter in the Leipzig/Halle airport, but the contract specifies that if necessary, two more aircraft will be provided on six days notice and another two on nine days notice.Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) The aircraft proved extremely useful for NATO especially with ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.Antonov An-124 NATO SALIS Program Extended Through End of 2010. deagel.com "Mystic" being loaded at Naval Air Station North Island, California]] United Launch Alliance (ULA) contracts the An-124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle from its facilities in Decatur, Alabama to Cape Canaveral. ULA also uses the An-124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle and Centaur upper stage from their manufacturing facility in Denver, Colorado to Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base.Lockheed Martin Atlas rocket on The History Channel. Two flights are required to transfer each launch vehicle (one for the Atlas V main booster stage and another for the Centaur upper stage).Lockheed Martin Delivers Atlas V to Cape Canaveral for NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission. Mars Today, 4 April 2005. It is also contracted by Space Systems Loral to transport satellites from Palo Alto, CA to the Arianespace spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.Space Systems/Loral Delivers World'S Largest Satellite To Launch Base Airbus Transport International, a subsidiary of Airbus, has selected another Russian cargo company, Polet Airlines as "designated carrier" to the company. Polet expects its three An-124-100s will transport astronautic equipment manufactured by EADS, which is Airbus' parent company, and components of the Airbus A380 superjumbo. The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 is the only A380 engine that can be transported whole in a Boeing 747F. As of 2013 the An-124 has visited 768 airports in over 100 countries. Significant activities An-124 being loaded with a downscaled model of an Airbus A380 centre fuselage section in Emirates livery]] * On May 1987, an An-124 set a world record, covering the distance of without refuelling.[http://www.arms-expo.ru/site.xp/049049056057124050049049054.html Оружие России; Ан-124 "Руслан" (Condor), дальний тяжелый военно-транспортный самолет] The flight took 25 hours and 30 minutes; the takeoff weight was 455,000 kg. * In July 1985, an An-124 carried 171,219 kg (377,473 lb) of cargo to an altitude of and 170,000 kg to an altitude of 10,750 m (35,270 ft).[http://www.nkau.gov.ua/gateway/news.nsf/NewsALLR/005BFF2F07D47EF4C3256B7200284D01!open Аэрокосмическое общество Украины; Международная авиационная федерация зарегистрировала 124 мировых рекорда, установленных на самолёте Ан-225] * An An-124 was used to transport the Obelisk of Axum back to its native homeland of Ethiopia from Rome in April 2005.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4458105.stm BBC News; Obelisk arrives back in Ethiopia] * An An-124 was used to transport an EP-3E Aries II electronic intelligence aircraft from Hainan Island, China on 4 July 2001 following the Hainan Island incident. * An An-124 was used in April 2011 to airlift a large Putzmeister concrete pump from Germany to Japan to help cool reactors damaged in the Fukushima nuclear accident.Germany sends giant pump to help cool Fukushima reactor The An-225 was used to transport an even larger pump to Japan from the United States.SRS pump will head to Japan Variants Antonov An-124-100M-150 with nose door open at MAKS 2005, Moscow – Zhukovskiy; Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin Il-96 in background.]] at Brno Airport (2010).]] ;An-124 Ruslan :Strategic heavy airlift transport aircraft ;An-124-100 :Commercial transport aircraft ;An-124-100M-150 :Commercial transport version fitted with Western avionics ;An-124-102 :Commercial transport version with an EFIS flight deck ;An-124-130 :Proposed version ;An-124-135 :Variant with one seat in the rear and the rest of the cargo area (approx. 1,800 square feet) dedicated to freight ;An-124-150 :Planned new variant with several new features ;An-124-200 :Proposed version with General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, each rated at 59,200 lbf (263 kN) ;An-124-210 :Joint proposal with Air Foyle to meet UK's Short Term Strategic Airlifter (STSA) requirement, with Rolls-Royce RB211-524H-T engines, each rated 60,600 lbf (264 kN) and Honeywell avionics—STSA competition abandoned in August 1999, reinstated, and won by the Boeing C-17A. ;An-124-300 :variant ordered by the Russian Air Force with new avionics, a new improved braking system and a payload of 150 tons. Operators in the mid-1990s]] Military ; * Russian Air Force (14 + more in reserve, By 2020 it is planned total to upgrade 20 aircraft in the version of An-124-100, including aircraft in storage ) **Military Transport Aviation ***12th Military Transport Air Division – Tver (Migalovo); ****566th Military Transport Air Regiment – Seshcha, Bryansk Oblast – Il-76, An-124;see also http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/tap/566vtap.htm and ru:Сеща (аэродром) ***224th Air Detachment of Military Transport Aviation – Tver – An-124-100, Il-76MD; Former military operators ; * Soviet Air Force Civil An-124-100]] An-124 inflight with 2 Sukhoi Su-27s of the Falcons of Russia at the 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade.]] .]] In September 2009, a total of 28 An-124 aircraft were in airline service, with a further 10 firm orders. ; * Libyan Arab Air Cargo (2) ; * Volga-Dnepr (10)+ 5 on order. * Polet Airlines (8)+ 5 on order. ; * Antonov Airlines (7) ; * Maximus Air Cargo (1) Former civil operators ; * Aeroflot Russian International Airlines * Ayaks * Russian State Transport Company * Transaero Airlines ; *Aeroflot Soviet Airlines ; * Air Foyle (in partnership with Antonov Design Bureau) – joint venture dissolved 2006 * HeavyLift Cargo Airlines (in partnership with Volga-Dnepr Airlines) * Antonov AirTrack * Titan Cargo – company ceased operations 2002 * TransCharter Titan Cargo Notable accidents As of 2011, four An-124 hull-loss accidents have been recorded, with a total of 97 fatalities:Aviation Safety Network * On 13 October 1992, SSSR-82002, operated by Antonov Airlines crashed near Kiev, Ukraine during flight testing. 8 fatalities.Aviation Safety Network * On 15 November 1993, RA-82071, operated by Aviastar Airlines crashed into a mountain at while in a holding pattern at Kerman, Iran. 17 fatalities.Aviation Safety Network * On 8 October 1996, RA-82069, owned by Aeroflot but operated by Ajax, crashed at San Francesco al Campo, Italy, while initiating a go-around after a low visibility approach on Turin Caselle airport's runway 36. 4 fatalities.Aviation Safety Network * On 6 December 1997, RA-82005, operated by the Russian Air Force, crashed in a residential area after take-off in Irkutsk, Russia. All 23 people on board and 44 people on the ground were killed."Multiple engine failure blamed for An-124 Irkutsk accident". Flight International, 17 December 1997. Specifications (An-124-100M-150) |crew=4-6 (pilot, copilot, navigator, senior flight engineer (+flight engineer, radio man) + 2 loadmasters) |capacity=88 passengers or the hold can take an additional 350 on a palletised seating system |payload main=150,000 kg |payload alt=330,000 lb |length main=68.96 m |length alt=226 ft 3 in |span main=73.3 m |span alt=240 ft 5 in |height main=20.78 m |height alt=68 ft 2 in |area main=628 m² |area alt=6,760 sq ft |empty weight main=175,000 kg |empty weight alt=385,000 lb |loaded weight main=405,000 kg |loaded weight alt=893,000 lb |useful load main=230,000 kg |useful load alt=508,000 lb |max takeoff weight main=405,000 kg |max takeoff weight alt=893,000 lb |engine (jet)=Ivchenko Progress D-18T |type of jet=turbofans |number of jets=4 |thrust main=229.5 kN |thrust alt=51,600 lbf |max speed main=865 km/h |max speed alt= |cruise speed main=800–850 km/h |cruise speed alt= |range main=5,200 km |range alt=2,808 nm, 3231 mi |ceiling main=12,000 m |ceiling alt=39,370 ft |loading main=365 kg/m² |loading alt=74.7 lb/sq ft |thrust/weight=0.23 |more performance= *'Take-off run distance (maximum take-off weight):' *'Landing roll distance at maximum landing weight:' }} Flight range ;An-124-100 * 0 tons of cargo= * 10 tons of cargo= * 20 tons of cargo= * 30 tons of cargo= * 40 tons of cargo= * 72 tons of cargo= * 90 tons of cargo= * 97 tons of cargo= *104 tons of cargo= *108 tons of cargo= *120 tons of cargo= ;Аn-124-100М-150 *40 tons of cargo= *92 tons of cargo= *113 tons of cargo= *120 tons of cargo= *122 tons of cargo= *150 tons of cargo= See also * Antonov An-225 * Airbus A380-800F * Boeing 747-8F * Lockheed C-5 Galaxy * Sukhoi KR-860 Footnotes References External links * Antonov An-124 page on the Antonov site * Aviastar-SP – manufacturer of the An-124 in Russia * Aviant – manufacturer of the An-124 in Ukraine * Antonov An-124 on aero-enthusiast.com * Walkaround An-124-100 RA-82041, #9773054055089 at MAKS-2009 Second walkaround * AN-124 specifications compared next to other air cargo aircraft * 30 years since the AN-124 Ruslan maiden take-off * Antonov's Giant: the An-124 Ruslan * Virtual loading by Volga-Dnepr An-124 Category:1980s Soviet cargo aircraft Category:1980s Soviet military transport aircraft Category:Quadjets